


freak show circus AU

by orphan_account



Category: Marble Hornets
Genre: AU, Body Horror, Branding, Circus, Death, Evil magic, Gen, Horror, Implied/Referenced Torture, Mutation, Vague Time Period, Wrongful Imprisonment, back stories at a few points, blood mention, isn't it, mentioned death, sleep inducing drugs, tell me if need to add anything else, this is rather dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-14
Updated: 2015-03-15
Packaged: 2018-03-17 18:27:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 3,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3539552
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a weird circus with dark secrets</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Begin

  * the time is kinda a long time ago maybe early 1900’s  i don’t know
  * Jay is a reporter that lives by himself in a small town
  * there has been a legend going around of a freak show based circus that has mythical creatures, most of which  are humanoid 
  * you haft to go deep into the woods alone to find it
  * so he goes into the woods and finds the camp
  * there is a small tent and what look like animal cages
  * in the cages are mythological beasts
  * waking around are humanoid creatures that look just as mythical
  * among them was a fairy like woman 
  * also a young man with horns, the tail of a lion and full red eyes 
  * the most fascinating was a man about his age in one of the animal cages
  * Jay asked why he was in there
  * he was told he was a shiftier and he was rather unstable when he transformed
  * just before Jay was going to leave the caged man started screaming
  * he was morphing into some sort of monster
  * the creature had light skin, black eyes with white pupils, sharp claws and a tail 
  * it started to rage
  * it went on for a while, making inhuman noises until it suddenly stopped
  * Jay left after that
  * Jay told his experience to his coworker Alex
  * Alex asked Jay how much he has been drinking 
  * Jay then tells Alex to check it out himself 
  * Alex agrees but only if Jay promises to stay out of the woods
  * the next day Alex dose not show up for work
  * and then the next day
  * basically two weeks has passed and Alex has not come to work
  * he goes to his house and his girlfriend has not seen him ether
  * jay decides to go to the woods to find Alex 




	2. The ringmaster

  * he was lucky on his timing because it was a Saturday and the show is on Saturday
  * he sees the show
  * it takes part in a black and white tent that looks bigger on the inside  
  * the ringmaster is a tall and thin man with white eyes and hair to mach
  * the man announces that they have a new humanoid creature
  * it is a reptilian man that looks just like Alex
  * Jay is nervous and confused  
  * Jay goes to see the ringmaster after the show
  * apparently he calls himself “the Operator” (how cheesy) 
  * he finds his shack at the edge of the fairground
  * Jay is invited in before he can even knock
  * TO then starts talking about how wonderful the show was 
  * Jay then asks the tall man about Alex
  * the ringmaster offers him some tea (witch he takes) and says he has not seen Alex
  * Jay then asks about the reptilian humanoid 
  * the operator grins deviously and tells him he will see Alex again soon
  * Jay passes out
  * the tea was drugged
  * when jay wakes up he is chained up in a dark room 
  * there is a stinging pain on his side
  * a symbol, kind of a “O” with an “X” is burnt into his skin
  * the tall man enters the room
  * Jay can tell bad  thing are about to happen
  * Jay can feel his body shifting into a new form
  * the sensation is like someone pulling and pushing and pinching at you
  * his hands become like claws
  * his eyes become pitch black
  * his screaming becoming a horrified shrill
  * everything goes black 




	3. transformed

  * when he wakes up he is in a cage
  * he tries talking but odd noises come out instead
  * a voice tells him its no use
  * Jay becomes silent 
  * he then hears the voice say ” the harpy is awake”
  * he is confused until he sees his own feathers 
  * Jay starts flipping out
  * a female’s voice calms him down
  * apparently he was out for a week
  * the girl tells him her name is Jessica 
  * he asks about the other voice
  * it belonged to someone named Brian
  * they explain Jay him that the operator is a evil magic 
  * he kidnaps people and turns then into monsters 
  * then he uses the captives in is circus
  * the reason that mark is on Jay’s side is that it is TO’s mark
  * for The Operator  to cast magic on someone they must be marked first
  * also it prevents then from leaving the camp ground 
  * before jay can learn anything else someone comes to open his cage
  * he is told that the “freaks” get free time for an hour
  * he finds Jess and Brian who turn out to be the Fairy and Demon from earlier
  * they also find Alex
  * he starts yelling at Jay for a hello
  * Alex refuses to meet Jay’s new friends
  * Jay is told not to worry about it
  * Brian then takes Jay to meet his friend 
  * it was the shiftier
  * apparently his name is ether Timothy or Sebastian 
  * Jay asks Brian about why he seems so sad  
  * he learns that if he wants to learn about Tim and Seb he will have to ask them himself
  * jay is still confused 




	4. Adjusting

  * just after jay meets the shiftier the free time is over
  * everyone stays in their cage till dusk
  * then they are let out to preform
  * Alex is able to run jay through the basics:
  * act happy and don’t try to escape or tell anyone about how things really are
  * Jay enjoyed performing 
  * all the kids loved his feathers
  * it went on until about midnight
  * then one everyone was gone the performers when back to their cages
  * Jay quickly fell asleep
  * the days went on in a similar manor after that
  * jay learned things though
  * like how the operators helpers were a bunch of ex-cons
  * and that Tim (Seb?) was around longer than anyone else
  * eventually he learned how people got there in the first place




	5. Brian's story

  * when Brian was fascinated  by mythological creatures
  * he herd about a place where he could see them in real life 
  * wouldn’t you go too
  * when he arrived he wondered the humanoid creatures
  * he asked them where they were from and none of them answered
  * he found that rather odd
  * he found a pale creature in cage
  * it seamed hostile and frighting
  * he asked it why it was so angry
  * it became calm and quiet
  * some helpers saw him and told him to go with them
  * he could hear the creature behind him, raging louder than before
  * he was taken to a small shack 
  * a tall man told him bull shit about how the fantasy of his circus was worth more than any skeleton he had in the closet
  * Brian left , but he came back three days later 
  * this time he had a skeleton key for advanced locks 
  * he found the cage that belonged to the shiftier
  * the man told him to get away but he did not listen
  * Brian felt a hard pain before everything went black 
  * when he awoke the ringmaster was watching him
  * the operator asked him why he tried to break the shiftier out
  * his response : you made his life a living hell
  * he woke up the next morning with horns and a tail 




	6. Jessica's story and a stupid idea

  * jay thought the story was interesting
  * that also explains why the shiftier is so close to Brian
  * he asked Jessica how she got stuck in this mess
  * apparently she was looking for her little sister and she got lost
  * the ringmaster kidnapped her because all captives at that time were male and he saw variety necessary 
  * apparently she later saw her sister, who did not recognize her but thought she was a very beautiful fairy 
  * over the moths jay became more and more curious about his new life
  * he also got more fed up
  * eventually he deicided to do something stupid 
  * he would break into the operator’s  living quarters 
  * it was not hard for him to sneak in
  * the space was filled with trinkets and spells
  * he looked for a while before finding a journal 
  * he also noticed something odd
  * there was a large, short table that seamed to speak
  * not with words though
  * it spoke with a kind of telekinesis that the other prisoners taught him
  * he noticed it was more of a trunk
  * however with its size and shape it looked more like a coffin  
  * he decided to open it  




	7. Discovery

  * inside the box was a statue 
  * it was made of a gray stone with a humanoid shape
  * more specifically it looked like a person sleeping
  * maybe not sleeping considering its box   
  * the most starling part was the fact it looked just like the shiftier’s human form  
  * before he could investigate further the door opened  
  * the operator was returning to his quarters 
  * he tried to hide but it was no use
  * the operator found him 
  * he was punished 
  * it was 3 days till jay was seen again
  * when he was back he was covered in  cuts and bruises
  * also he was not able to have free time for two weeks
  * however he still had the journal and the memory of the shiftier statue  




	8. an not so new idea

  * when the guards were not looking he showed the others his journal
  *  it was filled with spells and stories 
  * however it told them something very important
  * they could be human again if the killed the operator
  * they thought it was a good idea
  * even Alex who had barely talked to Jay out of spite 
  * he blamed Jay for getting him trapped
  * however they soon learned they they were not the first to try
  * the shifter apposed the idea the second it was brought up
  * he then told everyone the story of the last time the prisoners tried to kill the Operator
  * Timothy and Sebastian were new at the time
  * the other prisoners were planing something big
  * a way to escape
  * they decided not to join the others
  * it was about sunset when they herd screaming 
  * the operator was killing them all
  * however after they were killed they went back to their human forms
  * the aftermath was awful 
  * all the coupes shriveled up 
  * the blood changed to green and dried up
  * Tim and Seb were alone
  * eventually new prisoners came
  * they were there longer than anyone and they rarely spoke  
  * also they only trusted one of the other prisoners  
  * they dreamed of freedom, but they knew the price




	9. Alex

  * after hearing the Shifter’s story Jay and the others stopped plotting to kill the operator 
  * however Alex was one again willing to talk to Jay
  * apparently Alex asked one of the Operator’s lackeys for their name
  * he got punched in the face and woke up as a reptile
  * the main reason he refused to talk to Jay for so long is that he saw  his capture as adding insult to injury  
  * Jay apologized (14.5 times actually) to Alex  
  * Alex was then introduced to Jessica and Brian 
  * then they all talked about whatever they could remember from there lives before their capture 
  * Alex wonders if Amy still remembers about him
  * for Jessica its her family that she wonders about 
  * Brian can’t remember anyone from his past
  * Jay, well Jay was rather lonely before all of this
  * at least they have each other 




	10. Gemini

  * eventually Jay told everyone about the statue
  * everything except for its appearance reassembling the shiftier
  * Brian grabbed him after story time
  * the went to the shifter’s cage
  * Brian told the shiftier that Jay had seen Sebastian 
  * both boys were rather nervous to see the circus
  * they had never seen one despite the fact they were in their twenties 
  * plus after the show they were going to ask the ringmaster for a job
  * it was Seb’s idea
  * Tim was freaked out by all the creatures there
  * however they both enjoyed the show 
  * after the show they asked for a job
  * the ringmaster offered them some tea
  * Seb took it but Tim declined 
  * they were offered a job as a performer 
  * Tim started to get nervous 
  * he tried to signal Seb so they could get out of there but he was unconscious
  * Tim then felt a blow to the back of his head  
  * Tim woke up shacked to his still drugged brother
  *  he had in the past heard of story about horrible things happening to people who were kidnapped by circuses 
  * when the ringmaster entered the room ,Tim asked about his own fate
  * the Operator smirked and brained the twins
  * Seb on the left hand, Tim on the right
  * Tim was starting to panic when he noticed The Operator was doing something to his brother
  * Sebastian was turning to stone  
  * imminently after he could feel himself drifting off
  * now he was in his own head 
  * it was strange but he was not alone 
  * Seb was there with him
  * the brothers then started to feel a great pain
  * twisting and pulling and burning and breaking 
  * Tim woke up three days later 
  * he noticed a second marking on his left hand 
  * Seb’s mind slowly began to waste away 
  * The transformation took a lot away from him
  * His Mind slowly coming closer to matching the monster on the outside   
  * at this point he still has some humanity 
  * He fears that he will become incredibly hostile to those around him if he loses himself 
  * He also worries what would happen to Tim 
  * Jay asked if he could speak to Sebastian 
  * Tim obliged 
  * Brian started to explain why jay was there but Seb already knew  
  * the three charted for a wile longer
  * Jay then left thinking about what he  learned
  * jay was later reading though the journal
  * he was almost to the end
  * he found  something in there of interest 
  * it was a way to kill the operator 



 


	11. a plan

  * there was a piece of paper 
  * it would turn into a dagger that could kill the Operator and protect the holder from his magic
  * however there was a catch 
  * there was a small compartment inside the dagger
  * you could put something in it if you removed part of the handle 
  * for the dagger to work it had to be filled with the blood of someone uninfected by the operator 
  * Jay told everyone about the dagger
  * they thought it was a good idea, but they had  no contact to the outside world
  * they went back to their “regular” lives
  * however an idea bubbled in Seb’s head 
  * a short while later Jay could hear arguing
  * It was Brian and Tim
  * the argument ended with a loud “ **I DON’T CARE I WILL NOT LET ETHER OF YOU DO IT** ”
  * Jay was curious but decided not to ask
  * the next day a familiar face appeared 
  * Jessica told Jay it was friend of hers
  * He later found that it was Amy
  * despite Her transformation Amy could tell Who Jess was right away 
  * they told her about what happened to them and not to talk to the ringmaster 
  * they also made sure she saw Alex
  * He was very happy to see her
  * Eventually it got late and Amy had to leave 
  * the plan was becoming more and more of a reality 
  * Jay herd more arguing
  * this time with Brian and Sebastian 
  * this one ended with “  **NOT EVEN A PLAN B, I WONT LET YOU DO IT** ”
  * this time Jay had to ask




	12. planing

  * Jay asked Brian ,who did not want to talk about it 
  * naturally he asked Seb who was once again Tim at that point
  * Seb’s soul was linked to his petrified body 
  * and Tim was not put under any spells by the operator
  * so they would destroy the statue which would kill Seb 
  * that way Tim’s blood could be used in the dagger
  * however sense Amy is around they could ask her to donate blood
  * but They are still concerting Tim as a plan B
  * Brian thinks the idea is awful
  * So dose Jay 
  * they talked to Amy about the using her blood plan
  * she agreed 
  * they decided Saturday right during the show 
  * living at a circus shined of on them 
  * one last show 
  * they went ahead and got Amy’s blood 
  * there are a few reasons the decided to try to kill the operator during the show 


  1. they are performers, and are really into being showy at this point 
  2. the large audience, for if the operator starts killing his performers there is nothing stopping the unbranded audience from telling others and finding a stronger sorcerer that could kill him in a second
  3. the operator will be focused on  the show 


  * Alex asks about the one flaw in the plan
  * killing the operator and having witness to his assassination
  * according to the journal wen killed the operator will turn to smoke
  * lovely 




	13. showtime

  * it starts in the middle of Jay’s act
  * he stops out of nowhere and lands in the middle of the stage
  * nobody in the crowd (but Amy) knows what is happening
  * The Operator comes out and asks Jay what he is doing
  * the stage  grows silent
  * a gathered voice says two words 
  * _**IT’S SHOWTIME**_
  * everyone came out of nowhere and entered the stage
  * the operator sent his lackey on his prisoners 
  * they crowd was getting exited 
  * somehow they all new the performers were the heroes 
  * they cheered and gasped with every move 
  * it was intense
  * then there was a scream and a puff of smoke 
  * the operator was dead
  * Jay performed the deed
  * the crowd grew silent
  * the mutations melted away transforming everyone back to humans
  * then the crowd cheered louder than ever 




	14. Chapter 14

  * Tim and Brian ran out of the room
  * Seb was still in that box
  * Amy ran out of the stands 
  * she and Alex embraced  
  * Jay was out of it and just stood there stunned
  * Jessica tapped him and he jumped
  * the audience left 
  * the operators minions fled
  * the camp ground grew quiet
  * nobody knew what to make of it
  * **one year later**  
  * most of the captives parted ways
  * however Jay, Alex, Jessica , Tim , Seb and Brian all stayed together
  * They all had houses close together
  * they fond that Jay and Alex had been in for two years 
  * Jessica had four
  * Brian had seven 
  * the Twins were in the circus for several decades 
  * The magic stopped ageing 
  * however they started to age again once they left
  * for the first time in far to long all of them were happy 
  * and they stayed that way




End file.
